


When You Lose It All

by suluismyspirit



Series: Worlds Away [1]
Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-16
Updated: 2017-11-27
Packaged: 2018-09-24 23:33:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9791984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/suluismyspirit/pseuds/suluismyspirit
Summary: This is a prequel to my story Stranded.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I should warn you this is just a lot of Hikaru moments with so many random OC characters. So, don't expect to see anyone else here, okay?

_We all eat lies, when our hearts are hungry..._

 

Hikaru wasn’t one to complain, but if he were completely honest, his first posting upon graduating the academy did not quite live up to his expectations. He made himself a sort of enemy almost the first day, a guy named Liam who had not taken it very well when Sulu was assigned a position he’d been applying for. As if that weren’t enough, Sulu’s Captain, one Gavin Pruitt, was a gruff man who had little tolerance for Sulu’s natural humor and sass.

All in all, the first two months on board was more than a little lonely. He tried making friends, he really did, but he just didn’t click with anyone. It was a new experience for Sulu, he’d had more than enough friends back at the academy.

Hikaru was walking down the corridor with a few data PADDs in hand, some reports he was behind on, heading to his quarters to finish them. Most of them were due by tomorrow afternoon, and the First Officer wasn’t exactly tolerant of tardiness. Sulu wasn’t too worried about it, the reports were mostly completed, he just need to double check them.

“Yo, Sulu!”

Hikaru stopped, turning to see Liam jogging toward him, waving and grinning. That was weird, Hikaru thought, brow furrowed. Liam had been studiously ignoring him practically since he’d gotten on board and somehow managed to beat the man out of Alpha shift. Which made Sulu the go to pilot for the Indiana. From the way Liam had acted afterward, Sulu had assumed the man was peeved he’d not gotten the assignment and just disliked Hikaru on principle.

“Hey, Liam, what’s up?” He asked, Liam coming to a stop in front of him, breathing like he’d just jogged across half the ship.

“Hey man, I just…” Liam let out a long sigh, catching his breath. “I wanted to catch up with ya, talk to ya?” He gave Sulu a lopsided grin, looking a bit sheepish.

“Uh, yeah sure.” Sulu agreed in confusion, turning to face him fully. He couldn’t think of why Liam would want to catch up, they never talked.

“Look… uh…” Liam hesitated, scratching the back of his head a little awkwardly. “Really, I kinda wanted to apologize.” He shrugged a bit, dropping his hand. “I’ve been kinda acting like an ass to you. I’ve been kinda dumb about it.”

Sulu huffed a little laugh at that, more surprised than anything at how blunt Liam was being about it. “I appreciate the apology.”

Liam grinned at that, shifting into a more relaxed stance. “Hey, you know I’ve notice you usually hang out alone a lot. Not tryin to be creepy or nothin, just it’s kinda obvious. I’m meeting the guys in the cafeteria for some food, and we’re gonna play some cards after in Mark’s quarters. You wanna come?”

Sulu blinked, not expecting the offer. He hadn’t expected the man to apologize either. He’d seen Liam and his group of friends hanging out on the observation deck, they were more or less the popular kids on the ship. Sulu was pretty sure Jacob had some connections high up in the Federation.

“Yeah, that sounds great.” Sulu agreed, smile crossing his face. He missed having a group of friends to unwind with, and even if he didn’t quite fit in with all of them, it looked like Liam was at least making an attempt, which was more than he could say for the rest of the crew on board.

“Is it alright if we drop by my quarters on the way?” Sulu asked, holding up the handful of data PADD’s hopefully. “I’d rather not cart these around and risk losing one.”

“Sure.” Liam laughed, walking forward and patting him on the shoulder once as they started walking.

Sulu grinned, heading to his rooms. He still thought it was strange, though he wasn’t complaining, how Liam was so friendly all of sudden. Hikaru’d gotten the impression the other pilot didn’t like him at all. “Thanks.”

“No sweat.” Liam scoffed, waving the thanks away. “It’s the least I could do. Besides, it’s basically on the way.” He grinned, elbowing Sulu slightly and drawing a chuckle from him. He tilted his head as they walked, striking up a conversation. “So hey, I wanted to ask what you think of that new ship Starfleet’s got cooking?”

“I heard it’s going to be awesome.” Sulu replied, tone bright. This was a topic he could talk about all day. “The latest in all the new tech, it’s gonna be the top of the line in Constitution class ships. Man… I’d love to be the one to pilot her.”

“Put a request in then.” Liam suggested, tone somewhat amused.

“What? Me?” Sulu laughed lightly at that. “I don’t think I’ve got the experience or seniority they’re looking for.”

“There’s a good six months before she’s due to be completed, plus the time it takes to run the checks…” Liam rationalized, raising an eyebrow as he looked at Sulu.

“Still.” Sulu shook his head, not confident at all about his chance of landing a posting as great as that. “It’s Starfleet’s best ship, they’ll want their best to fly her. Not someone just out of the academy.”

Liam shrugged lightly at that. “You beat me out of top pilot here, and I’ve got a few years on you. But hey, if you don’t wanna try for it, I’m not gonna press the issue. Cuz you know I’m gonna put in for a transfer to that ship, and it just makes my chances all the better not having to compete with you.”

“I wish you the best of luck.” Sulu laughed as they reached his quarters, ducking inside quickly to drop the reports on his desk. He’d finish them up later tonight. “I’ll be honest though, I’ll be jealous of you. But who knows, maybe I’ll change my mind when the time comes.” He grinned at Liam, the two of them heading to the cafeteria.

“You would.” Liam laughed, shoving Sulu playfully now that he didn’t have a handful of reports.

Sulu chuckled, stepping away for a moment before falling back in step. He wasn’t 100% sure how to take this new attitude from Liam. It was certainly a different side of the man that he’d never seen before. He was being friendly, though so far as Sulu’d seen, Liam’s sense of humor was quite a bit different from his own.

He wasn’t complaining though. Liam had offered to introduce him to the rest of his group of friends, and invited him to play cards later, so Sulu figured the guy couldn’t be too bad even if he was a bit rough in his affections.

Hikaru was just glad to have a friend finally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To anyone who has read some of my other stories:  
> Was anyone nervous when Sulu got stopped in the corridor? He hasn't had much luck with that in some of my other fics.  
> XD But looks like it turned out okay, this time.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These chapters are so slow coming out. 
> 
> But hurray, here is another one for you!

Sulu was only slightly surprised at how well meeting Liam’s friends went.

Jacob had been standoffish, though he was like that with everyone, even Pruitt, so Sulu didn’t read into that much at all. From what he’d overheard from the rest of the crew, Jacob didn’t care too much for space, and had only started on the command track in Starfleet because of his father.

Mark had been loud. The man was one of the largest security officers on board, dark skinned with black hair and more than a few tattoos. Liam had introduced him as the ladies’ man of the group, and he’d very boastingly agreed.

Jeffery had seemed fairly normal, scrawny and quieter than any of the others, with a taste for off color jokes. He was in the science division, so Sulu had never really seen much of him, but he was pleasant enough in that meeting.

The last member of the group was a man by the name of Marron, who Sulu’d seen around the ship more than once. Hikaru hadn’t expected him to be there, he had a bit of a crush on him and hadn’t known that he was part of Liam’s little group of close friends. Embarrassingly, Sulu’d tripped over his words the first time he spoke, though he managed to pull himself together quickly.

The group sat around the cafeteria after they finished eating, just laughing and talking. A variety of other crewmembers stopped by the group’s table every once in a while to join the conversation or simply greet one of them. A few hours later found them in Mark’s quarters, playing cards just like Liam had promised.

Sulu found out Jeffery was a shark no matter what card game they played. He won almost every time. Mark wasn’t too interested in any of the games, just sat back halfheartedly playing, drinking the whole time. Hikaru wasn’t sure if the man ever stayed completely sober, but it didn’t interfere with his job, and he wasn’t about to question it right now.

It was a nice evening, nicer as he became more comfortable and was able to chat with Marron without feeling like a complete idiot. Mark, predictably, was the first to pass out, the rest of them tapering off and eventually leaving to go to their own quarters. Liam walked with Sulu as he headed to his room, chatting amiably the whole way.

“Seriously, give Mark a bottle of Andorian Ale, and he’ll be your best friend for at least a week.” Liam joked, hands behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling in remembrance.

Sulu chuckled at that. “Yeah, I’ll file that one away for when I need a favor from him.”

“For that, he’d be willing to hide a body for you.” Liam laughed, shaking his head. “Man, shoulda got over myself sooner, you’re a fun guy.”

“You could have warned me about Jeff.” Sulu smirked. “I’m just glad we weren’t playing for anything.”

“Where would the fun in that be? You’ll find something you can beat him at, one day I’m sure.” Liam teased, pushing Sulu. “But, I gotta get going, I’m gonna be late for my shift. Catch ya later, alright?”

“Yeah, later.” Sulu lifted a hand in a mock salute as Liam turned and jogged off, then turned and continued to his room.

He groaned a little when he walked in and caught sight of the unfinished reports. He’d forgotten all about them. Hikaru sighed, sitting down. He wanted to groan again as he checked the time, though he managed not to. He’d spent longer than he thought hanging out with the guys.

It had been worth it though. He’d gotten to know more about various crewmen in the last few hours than he had the last few months. It felt like everything was looking up finally. He had a group of friends that he fit in with fairly well, he was serving under a very distinguished captain as the main pilot, and he’d had an actual meaningful conversation with Marron. All in all, a really great evening.

His spirits were high, even after finishing the reports with only enough time to grab a couple hours’ sleep. The first officer’s gruff demeanor as he handed them in didn’t bring him down, nor did the long dull shift on the bridge afterwards. After his shift was over, he headed back to his room to sleep some, Liam waking him up a few hours later with a grin and a mischievous idea or two.

It was all such a change, and Sulu was beyond grateful for it. The misery of those first two months on the Indiana soon felt like a distant memory, and after a while Hikaru felt like he had always been a part of Liam’s little group of friends. He found himself becoming closest with Mark and Liam, though the other’s he considered friends as well.

But it was those two who got him through losing his family. Mark had drunk himself under the table with Sulu when his father passed away, making sure Hikaru didn’t just wallow in his room alone. Liam rallied the rest of the gang to cover both of their shifts, keeping the CMO from finding as well. When his mother passed, the both of them took some time off to be there for him, her loss hitting him harder. They sat with him when he didn’t want to talk, listened to his stories when he did, and dragged him off to the star base they’d docked at when all else failed in an attempt to take his mind off things.

Nearly eight months since he’d been posted to the Indiana, and it felt like home. He couldn’t imagine being on any other ship, even if he and Liam almost constantly talked about the Enterprise and her upcoming launch.

“You know.” Sulu mused, hanging out one evening in Liam’s quarters helping his friend with some reports. “I think I’ll do it.”

“Do what?” Liam inquired, only slightly paying attention as he worked.

“Apply for that transfer.”

Liam looked over at him, lifting an eyebrow, expression unreadable though Sulu wasn’t looking his way. “Really?”

“Yeah.” Sulu replied, tossing the data PADD aside and lazing on the sofa. “It’s a really great post, and the worst they can do is say no.”

“Guess that kicks me outta the race then.” Liam snorted, eyes flickering with something as he turned back to the reports.

“You know, we could _both_ get the transfer.”

Liam laughed at that, giving up on the report for now. “Aren’t you just the optimist. Yeah, I suppose we could. Be great to stay on the same crew, it’s always a perk being able to work with your best friend. When you gonna put in the request?”

“I don’t know. Sometime in the next couple weeks. It’s only, what, a month before she’s ready? Even then I’m sure there are plenty of requests to transfer coming in, it’ll probably take a while before we hear anything.”

Liam nodded at that, twirling idly in his chair. “Yeah, true. I’ll get my request ready too, we’ll give it to the Commander next week. Deal?”

“Typical Liam. Making a schedule.” Sulu grinned, looking over at the deadpanned expression Liam sent his way for that comment. “Yeah, yeah, deal.”

“Good.” Liam said smugly, standing up and going to drag Sulu off the couch, pulling him into a headlock and dragging him toward the door. “Now shoo. You’re keeping me from my beauty sleep.” Sulu wrestled with him all the way to the door, laughing as he let Liam toss him out.


	3. Chapter 3

Life sucked.

Life truly and deeply sucked.

Mortified with himself, Sulu trudged through the corridor, blindly making his way to Liam’s quarters. He walked in as soon as Liam opened the door, walking past his friend and going over to the couch and throwing himself boneless on the cushions face first with a low groan.

“Rough day?” Liam asked, lifting an eyebrow as he followed Sulu, watching him lie there. He held back a chuckled at the muffled response, not saying anything as he waited for Sulu say something legible.

“I screwed up man…” Sulu eventually said after he’d shifted so his face wasn’t buried in a pillow any longer.

“Ah.” Liam nodded slightly in understand, moving over to the coffee table and sitting down on it lightly. “So, I take it your little ‘date’ didn’t go so well?”

Sulu groaned again, shaking his head and burying his face back in the pillow. Not well at all. Such an understatement. And it had taken him _weeks_ to finally drudge up the courage to ask the guy out.

“Come on man.” Liam tried, lip twitching as he tried to hold back a chuckle. “It couldn’t have been _that_ bad.”

Sulu half sat up, propping himself on his elbows as he turned to look hopelessly at Liam. “No, it was worse! I was babbling on like an idiot, and he just had this polite smile the whole time, but I could tell he was bored out of his mind, but I just _couldn’t stop talking_!”

It had honestly been the worst experience Sulu had ever had in his entire life. And he’d have to see this guy again, they were in the same crew! Why the heck had he let Mark talk him into going for it?!

“So one guy isn’t all that into you.” Liam shrugged, moving to sit on the arm of the couch and looking down at Sulu. “It couldn’t have ended _near_ as bad as Mark’s last little fling.” Liam wasn’t that great at the whole condolences and comfort, but he sure knew how to distract someone.

As Liam had predicted, Sulu sat up at that, letting out a little bark of laughter. “Yeah, I _heard_ about that. Word is she threw him out buck naked and locked the door.” Hikaru snickered some, shifting to sit cross legged. “And then, apparently, next day you two go and he gets _wasted_ , and you let him come back on board like that so the Commander writes him up for it.”

“Pretty much.” Liam admitted unashamedly, nodding and laughing. He stood up, wandering over to his desk and grabbing a few data PADDs, tossing one to Sulu. “Here, check this over for me, make sure I didn’t screw it up again.”

“You know there’s this thing called spell check.” Sulu told him, catching the PADD deftly.

“Yeah, yeah.” Liam snorted. This was a conversation they had at least once a week. “But I can’t stand how it changes the words. Like, I know what I want to say, so leave it ya piece of machine. I feel like it’s judging me. I don’t like it judging me.”

“And you think I’m not?” Hikaru glanced up at Liam, smirking as Liam flopped sideways onto the couch beside him. It was a joke, but they both knew that Liam was horrible at spelling.

“Yeah?” Liam said in mock outrage, kicking lightly at Sulu’s side. “Well, you at least when you judge me I can kick your ass for it. These though, there’s always another data PADD around to keep the judgement going, even if I break this one.” He complained, waving the PADD in his hand.

“You only wish you could kick my ass.” Sulu snorted, rolling his eyes. They’d sparred more than once during their friendship, and most of the time Sulu won. Liam could be devious at times, but he still wasn’t as good at hand to hand as Sulu, not to mention Hikaru’s training in fencing.

"Oh, come on, last time I came really close to beating you!" Liam complained, forgetting about the report he was supposed to be looking at.

"How's that saying go that Mark's always tossing around? Second place is just the first loser?"

“Really Suu?” Liam raised an eyebrow, shaking his head slightly, pretending to be shocked. “Going that far?”

“Hey, you started it.” Sulu looked up at him with a smirk, exchanging the data PADD he’d finished looking through for the one in Liam’s hands.

Liam let out a longsuffering sigh. “You’re just lucky I need to keep ya around.” A small smirk crossed his features as he glanced at Sulu.

Hikaru ignored that, not looking up at Liam as he fixed a section of the report.

They sat in silence for a while, Sulu tapping away on the PADD every now and then. Liam leaned back on the couch, waiting. “We should go hunt Mark down after this, see if he’s got any new conquests he wants to brag about.”

“You mean any more failures you can tease him about.” Sulu responded instantly, knowing exactly what Liam was thinking.

Liam gasped, putting one hand over his heart. “You wound me Hikaru. Wound. Me.”

Sulu shook his head, laughing and tossing the PADD onto Liam’s lap. “Come on the, let’s go find Mark so you can make him miserable.”

Liam grinned, hopping up and grabbing the PADD’s to move them to his desk to submit later.

It didn’t take them long to find Mark, his hang outs were pretty few when he was on his own. Ended up he was in the lounge, sitting at the bar with a drink in front of him. Sulu slid into the seat on Mark’s left, leaning his elbows on the countertop and looking at Mark. “Rough day, huh?”

Liam sat on Mark’s other side, back against the counter so he could look out at the rest of the room while they chatted. “Sulu’s tired of me messing with him, so go on. Spill, what dumb thing did you do this time?”

For a moment, Mark didn’t react, just took a small sip of his drink. He glanced between them, smirk spreading across his face. “Actually, I’m celebrating.”

Both Liam and Sulu paused at this, eyebrows lifting in surprise. Sulu was the one to break the silence. “…I was not expecting that.”

“And you didn’t invite me immediately?!” Liam cried out, clutching his chest dramatically. “You’re driving that knife deeper!”

Sulu snorted, because Mark was giving Liam a look like he was talking nonsense, waving a hand dismissively at Liam. “Ignore him, he’s an idiot.” He ignored Liam’s indignant noise in response to that comment, instead asking Mark. “So, what’s up?”

“We are on the away mission team to Reagis III.” Mark informed them, tone smug.

Liam blinked at the news, smile spreading across his face. He’d been waiting _months_ to hear that.

“What? Really?” Sulu asked, confused by the news more than anything else. “Isn’t that supposed to be a really volatile political climate right now? How’d you get that mission?”

“Not me, pal.” Mark corrected him, shaking his head. “ _We_.”

“No… What? Seriously?” Sulu asked, not actually believing it.

“Yup.” Mark grinned. “You’re the one flying us out.”

“You’re kidding, right? I don’t have near the qualifications or experience for this kind of mission.”

Hikaru looked at Liam, as if he’d step in and inform him that yeah, it was a prank. Reagis III. Hikaru didn’t know anything about the planet, except that the mission had been on the back burner for a while now, just waiting for some red tape to get out of the way. And now _he_ had been put on the mission? To say he was nervous would be an understatement.

“Relax Suu.” Liam said, coming around to sit beside Hikaru. “The captain wouldn’t have approved it if he didn’t think you could do it.” Liam cast a glance at Mark, Sulu following his gaze.

Mark nodded. “Yup, gave it the all clear. The commander too.”

Liam threw an arm over Sulu’s shoulder. “See? No worries. Besides. It’ll be _great_ experience for you, you’ll be climbing that ladder and make Lt. Commander in no time. And, we’ll all be there to back you up. Me and Mark, we’ve done missions like this a hundred times. You let us do the talking, sit back and just soak it in.”

Sulu was still a little dubious about the whole idea, but Liam had a point. This was how officers got experience, they went on mission with senior officers. It wasn’t like he was going to be doing something he had never done before. He’d be the pilot, get them there, help out with the mission, get them back.

It would be easy.

Liam grinned as Sulu relaxed, the pilot nodding in agreement.

“Awesome, now come on. We’re celebrating!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments make updates come fasters.   
> Also, I've fallen into my own trap! I actually like these OCs! This wasn't supposed to happen!


	4. Chapter 4

The Indiana arrived at Raegis III four days after Mark gave the two of them his good news, parking in orbit as the crew hurried about it preparation for the mission. They were scheduled to be there for eight days, contacting various representatives and diplomates throughout the duration. From the briefing, he’d attended before being sent to prepare for departure, Sulu’d gathered that Pruitt and the first officer would be handling the majority of the meetings.

Five days after that, Sulu still wasn’t so certain about the mission he, Liam, and Mark were going on. Talks were wrapping up, and the Indiana already had it's course set for departure, ready to head to Veta 4 for some well deserved shore leave. Hikaru trusted his friend, he really did, it was just that he was little uncertain about going with him. He didn’t know the language, knew little about the culture, and less about being a diplomat. But Liam said it would be a good move, it would give him some great experience that would help him out later in his career.

So, Hikaru headed to the shuttle bay, pushing away his fears and reservations at just how unqualified he was for this mission. ‘Trust me,’ Liam had said. ‘We’ll be there to back you up, just let us do the talking.’ Mark and Liam were already there waiting, chatting about something, the conversation wrapping up as Sulu approached.

“Hey Sulu.” Liam grinned, turning to face him as he walked over. “Just in time, we’re loading up now.”

Sure enough, there were two large Starfleet containers already loaded onto the shuttle. Supplies for one of the cities, some food and medicines, and water purification tablets. Because of the size of the containers, there wasn’t much room left on the shuttle, which meant it was just Sulu, Liam, and Mark going on this mission.

“Let’s go.” Mark waved the on, already heading into the shuttle.

Sulu nodded, keeping his reservations about this mission to himself. It was very cut and dry, deliver the supplies, Liam would talk to the representative for a bit, and they’d be back on the Indiana in no time. Easy.

Neither Liam nor Mark made any comments about how quiet he was during the final preflight checks, Sulu too preoccupied to really think anything of that. “Bridge, this is shuttle 3, we are ready for departure.” Sulu reported.

“Copy that shuttle 3, you are clear for departure.”

Sulu nodded to himself, navigating the shuttle easily from the bay and heading down toward the planet. It was a beautiful world, seen from orbit. It was M class planet comprised mostly of forests, the surface of the planet looked completely green from above the atmosphere. It held only three large cities, the rest of them were far smaller, resembling villages rather than cities.

The supplies they’d brought were going to be divided among the smaller villages, but they were distributing them from the city, landing the shuttle on the edge and meeting the delegate there.

“Don’t look so uptight Sulu.” Liam commented once they’d entered the atmosphere. “The mission’s gonna be a breeze. No sweat, okay? Mark here’s the muscle, you two just move the supplies while I talk to the guy in charge.”

Sulu glanced briefly at Liam, quirking a bit of a smile at the relaxed expression on his face. “Yeah, sure.”

Liam leaned back in his seat with a short nod, Sulu turning back to the controls. Ten minutes later they were circling the landing site, Sulu setting the shuttle down gently a few yards from where a group of delegates stood.

“Let’s get this show on the road.” Liam quipped, voice chipper as he stood up and made his way from the shuttle. Sulu glanced at Mark, the larger man hadn’t said much, and didn’t seem to be paying any attention to Sulu at all. It was odd, Hikaru didn’t think he’d done anything to annoy his friend. But maybe he was just irate because he’d had to go all day without a drink.

Hikaru resisted rolling his eyes. Annoyed because he wasn't tipsy, that sounded like Mark all right. Instead he followed the redshirt’s lead and began helping him move the large containers. By the time they’d unloaded all of them, Liam was deep in conversation with the lead delegate.

Honestly, Sulu wasn’t exactly sure what to do with himself. He didn’t understand what was being said, Liam was speaking the native language. Hikaru knew that _most_ of the inhabitants of this world understood Standard English, they just were incapable of speaking it. Something about how their vocal cords were designed made it very difficult, if not impossible, for them to form a lot of the words.

That disability didn’t work both ways, however, and somehow Liam had managed to learn the language in the time between Mark informing them of the mission and the time it had taken them to arrive. It was something Sulu hadn’t had a chance to actually ask Liam about, the man had always turned the conversation somehow and Sulu’d let him because the thought of this mission made him nervous. He’d just made a note to himself to ask Liam about it after.

Sulu watch a couple of the delegates companions come forward, wandering over to where he was standing next to the container and inspecting them. They chattered to each other lowly, one of them looking him up and down while the other worked to open one of the boxes. It made Hikaru a little uneasy, though when he glanced over at Mark the security officer was completely at ease.

He couldn’t help but look inside the containers as the lids were opened, frowning at the variety of phasers inside. This wasn’t right, Starfleet didn’t hand out weapons. This had to be a mistake of some sort. Those were supposed to me supplies, not weapons. Liam and Mark weren’t the type to do something so far out of regulations.

“Guys...” He started, trying to get Liam’s attention away from whatever negotiation’s he was in the middle of.

He didn’t get any further than that, one of the natives striding over and driving a fist into his stomach. Hikaru doubled over, white flashing across his vision as he fell to his knees, struggling to get his breath back. He vaguely felt a hand disarming him, the one who’d hit him chattering at Liam roughly.

He blinked, looking up once his vision cleared, eyes trained on Liam in confusion. The man’s smirk turned cold as he looked at Sulu, his next words in Standard English. “Sorry Suu. There’s been a change of plans.”

This couldn’t be happening. He must have misheard, or… or this was just some prank Liam was taking too far or…

The tribesman said something else, causing Liam to look at him with a frown. “Look, this was the deal. He’s trained on how to use every one of these weapons, plus extra combat techniques to boot. _And_ he’s a pilot, so get your hands on a ship and wreak havoc on your enemies. Don’t go tryin to change the deal here.”

Sulu couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He was motionless on his knees, staring dumbly at Liam as the tribesman tied his arms behind him. Mark was just as at ease and unconcerned as before, just watching the tribesman that was still inspecting the phasers. Sulu watched, dumbfounded, as Liam and the lead tribesman snipped back and forth for a moment before Liam sighed, pulling out his phaser.

For a moment, Sulu though maybe things would be okay, maybe there was some reasonable explanation for _all_ of this. He wanted to feel relief, because this was supposed to be his _friend_ , his crewmate, but his stomach was all twisted in knots and he just… knew.

This couldn’t be happening.

“Look, you don’t wanna stick to the original terms, that’s fine by me. I’ll get rid of the entire shipment, no weapons, no officer, nothin.” Liam snapped, waving his phaser threateningly.

The leader frowned at Liam for a moment, looking at the phaser before his gaze drifted to the stack of containers and over to Sulu. He looked back at Liam and nodded, stepping forward and handing him a device of some kind.

Liam snorted, accepting the thing, looking it over before smiling up at the tribesman. “Pleasure doing business with you.”

The panic didn’t set in until there was a gag shoved in Sulu’s mouth, Liam and Mark turning away without a second glance at him as they walked back to the shuttle.

This couldn’t be happening. They were his _friends_. They’d _been_ there for him, laughed with him, listened to his problems and helped him through the hard times. They couldn’t just… just leave him here.

Sulu’s whole body felt cold as the shuttle door closed, the tribesman jerking him onto his feet roughly. He tried to keep his eyes on the shuttle as they pulled him backward, hoping and praying to anyone up there that might be listening that the two officers would come back out, stop this nightmare.

But the shuttle’s engines whirred, whipping up a layer of dirt into the air as the craft lifted off, not even hesitating as it turned, rising in the air and growing distant in the sky. They’d left.

The tribesmen were hauling the containers full of weapons away, loading them onto a vehicle. Sulu was shoved over as well, tossed carelessly next to the white boxes in the back of the truck. Through the fog of shock he realized he was little more than those phasers to these people. Just something they’d bought, traded for, something to be used.

Liam and Mark…. They’d seen it the same way.

_This couldn’t be happening._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like you all to appreciate just how DIFFICULT it was for me to _RUIN_ poor Sulu's good mood and happy times.


	5. Chapter 5

Hikaru wasn’t sure how long they traveled. He was in a daze, hard as he tried to pull himself out of it. He knew he needed to get it together. He was a Starfleet officer, dammit, he couldn’t just fall apart like this! Easier said than done, however. He managed to shake the fog of stupor when the vehicle came to an abrupt stop, nearly causing him to fall to his side, a few boxes wobbling dangerously.

He could hear voices, all of them chattering in that foreign language. It was disconcerting, having no idea what they were saying. He couldn’t gain any information about where he was, where he was going, or anything. One of the voices drew closer and Sulu frowned as a very human, English speaking, voice rose above the foreign chittering.

“Where are you taking me? Who are you? What is the m-“

The one speaking broke off suddenly, a slap followed by a short yelp cutting his words short. A moment later and the cloth at the back of the truck moved aside. Sulu glared , blinking at the bright sunlight filtering through, He didn’t have long to glare before a man was shoved into the truck with him, the tarp closing after him.

Hikaru glowered at the cloth for a moment more, then turned his attention to whoever it was that was, apparently, prisoner with him.

The man looked fairly young, probably in his late twenties. He was dressed fairly well, not counting the rumples and dirt, in a grey suit and tie. He had short cropped hair, a deep rich brown color, and eyes to match. He sat up from where he’d sprawled onto the bed of the truck, leaning back and wiping the blood from his lips. Unlike Hikaru, his hands were tied in front of him, giving him more freedom of movement.

Without even having to ask, Sulu could tell this guy was a civilian, and some type of office worker to boot. The man froze, eyes widening in surprise as he finally registered Sulu’s presence. He flushed red briefly, for what reason Sulu had no idea, then shuffled forward the couple feet that separated them. “Here, I.. uh, that is, I can… sorry, so sorry.” He blustered, gesturing to the cloth in and around Sulu’s mouth, and removing it when Hikaru nodded. Guy was definitely out of his element.

“My name’s Jeffrey, or just Jeff.” He introduced himself. Jeff shuffled back to his previous spot after that, just looking at Sulu warily for a moment as the vehicle they were in jerking into motion. His eyes roved over the man’s uniform, trying to place where he’d seen it. After a moment, it came to him. Jeff’s eyes lit up as he leaned forward eagerly, whispering in a quiet voice. “You’re with Starfleet? The Federation, right? That uniform?”

Sulu nodded. “Ensign Hikaru Sulu, of the Federation Starship Indiana.”

Jeff sagged back at that, flooded with relief. “Thank god. Someone will be looking for us then!” He knew this Sulu’s captain would notice he was missing, would make inquiries. Jeff was just a lawyer, he worked for himself, had few friends, and no family. No one would miss him, except his few clients but they would find another representative the moment he did not respond to their calls.

But Sulu, an officer of Starfleet, people would _miss_ him.

Sulu hesitated, but nodded. He couldn’t bring himself to ruin the guy’s hope. And maybe he would be right. Liam couldn’t possibly cover something like this up. Captain Pruitt was no friend of Sulu, but he was the captain, had to follow the rules and regulations. Even if he assumed Sulu went AWOL, abandoning the Federation, they wouldn’t just let him vanish. They couldn’t.

So, he nodded agreement, even if he couldn’t make himself say it. Try as he might to convince himself, it still felt like a lie to assure Jeff that there was someone searching for him.

“So, what happened? How did you end up here? I mean, no offense, but I never would have thought a federation officer would be here. Me, I can understand. I was on a Lenorian trader ship trying to get to Xeno Two, but they wanted to stop here, since I know the language and they never get to trade with these people because of that barrier.” Jeff was rambling, though he kept his tone down. “Next thing I know I’ve got a bag over my head and I’m being stuffed into some box. That was a day or so ago, but none of them will answer me when I try and ask what’s going on. No matter _what_ language I speak.”

Jeffrey flinched as there was a sharp rap on the side of the truck, one of the guards shouting in their native tongue. Sulu lifted an eyebrow, nodding in that direction. “Lemme guess, he said to shut up?”

“Oh? You speak the language too?” Jeff perked up slightly and Sulu couldn’t help the smallest of smiles. Jeff seemed like a really nice guy, a little ditzy, but a nice guy. Even still reeling from what Liam had done, Hikaru liked Jeff. It was just really crappy having to meet him here, like this.

“No.” He admitted, shaking his head. “I didn’t have time to learn it, and it wasn’t something I needed at the time. But I know a ‘shut up’ when I hear one.”

Jeff chuckled shortly. “Ah, I see. Well, you’re correct. Though he didn’t word it quite so politely.”

They both fell silent as the vehicle jerked into motion. Sulu frowned to himself, glancing down at the grimey wooden boards of the truck. He probably should have made a move, gotten Jeff to untie him so they could make a run for it. From the little Sulu _did_ know of this planet, cities were few and far between. It was unlikely they’d have many opportunities to escape.

He tried to tell himself it had been because they were so outnumbered, the guards likely carrying arms. It had nothing to do with the betrayal, nothing to do with a nagging fear of succeeding in escape and then facing Liam and Mark again.

“So… uh… Mister Sulu…” Jeff coughed awkwardly.

Realizing his thoughts must be showing on his face, Sulu shoved the bitterness away and looked up at Jeff. “Please, just call me Sulu. Or even Hikaru, if you want.”

“Hikaru. I was rambling earlier, but how _did_ you end up here?”

“I think the more important question is how do we get out of here.” Sulu stated, sidestepping the question. He wasn’t ready to completely face the reality of it, as if not saying it out loud would make it any less true. “I was in the heart of the city when they took me, and I’ve been in this truck ever since. Do you know who they are, what they want?”

Oh, Sulu had an idea of what they wanted, but as to the who…

Jeff shook his head. “I know they’re most likely rebels. We were at the fringe of the city limits when I was thrown in here with you, so it’s likely we are being taken to one of the small villages. I’m not certain what they want with you, but they’ve talked about me being a translator. For you, I’m guessing.”

“They’ve got a crate of federation weapons, which is why they want me.” Hikaru wasn’t thrilled with revealing that information and was surprised when Jeff brightened slightly.

“Well, that’s good isn’t it? Won’t your ship be able to track the energy signature, or something like that?”

“…they should… but…” Sulu acquiesced, stomach sinking as he fully realized he wasn’t going to be able to go any longer without telling Jeff what had happened. Right now, he was only building upon a false hope. Sulu knew deep down that, no matter how much he hoped or wished, it was highly unlikely anyone would be looking for him.

Liam might be a cold-hearted bastard, but he’d obviously been planning this for some time. It was unlikely he’d leave so many loose ends. Sulu had gone missing? Type up a resignation letter or, hell, even better have Pruitt in on the whole thing. The captain could smooth over nearly anything with the council given enough set up time. Federation weapons putting of a reading from the planet? Even simpler. Modifier the sensors to disregard it until they were out of range.

“That’s great, so all we have to do is wa-“

“I wouldn’t count on any help coming.” Hikaru ground out, cutting off the rest of Jeff’s statment. “I wish it had all just been a mistake, that I’d read the situation wrong, but the more I go over it, think about it… Two federation officers on my ship…” He sighed, unable and unwilling to say the word ‘friend’ concerning them. “They gave them the weapons. Sold them more like. And me. Waiting for a rescue party isn’t going to get us anywhere. We’ll have to help ourselves.”

Just how the hell they were supposed to do that, Hikaru had no clue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slowest updating story ever. But, not abandoned.


End file.
